Page 14 of Trophy
Rob shrugged. A glance over his shoulder proved that Allison was finishing up the orders from that large table, but she was glancing over at him occasionally.
She was wondering who Dee was. She was wondering what his relationship with her was.
It would be just his luck for her to decide he was taken and not give him another thought.
“I’ll try,” Rob agreed, hoping it would get Dee to leave. She hadn’t ordered anything yet, so maybe she wouldn’t stay long. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Dee reached over to rub his shoulder, sliding her hand over to the back of his neck. “Thank you so much, sweetie.” It was all Rob could do not to jerk away from her touch. Instead he carefully adjusted his posture so he could pull away from her.
Another large family had come in, and Allison had hurried to get them menus. It was getting more crowded in here now, and she was starting to look flustered. Her cheeks had gotten pink, which just made her even prettier.
Dee’s eyes followed Rob’s gaze. “She must be new,” Dee muttered. Then she straightened up and snapped, “Hey, new girl! I’ve been waiting forever. I need a Diet Coke.”
Allison turned quickly, having just offered the last menu to the table. Whatever her initial expression had been was quickly covered by her polite waitress face. “Of course. I’ll get it right now.”
Rob cringed internally, embarrassed by Dee, wondering why he’d ever hooked up with her. He’d been attracted to her, and she’d come on to him strong. It had been so easy to just go along with things. Plus, she’d always been very needy.
After the humiliation and helplessness of his first marriage, Rob had been looking to feel strong and in control of things, so he’d been drawn to her neediness. But he’d eventually learned that it was just another way to be used and manipulated.
Allison brought Dee a glass of soda, her eyes discreetly lowered as she murmured, “Sorry for the wait. Can I get you anything else?”
“No. I don’t want anything else.”
Allison glanced over at Rob’s empty plate. “Are you done?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“I’ll get your check.”
He watched her as she went back to the kitchen. She still looked perfectly pulled together, but he could tell she was rattled underneath. She wasn’t used to the job yet, and he could imagine it was hard to be faced with the pressure of a lot of tables and less-than-polite customers.
“I’ve got to get to work,” he told Dee, standing up.
She was sipping her soda and looked surprised and displeased by his abrupt departure. “It’s still early.”
“I’ve got stuff to do. I’ll see about talking to Cali as soon as I can.”
He walked over to the cash register, so Allison brought the bill to where he stood.
“I’ll pay for her soda too,” he said, gesturing toward Dee. She would expect him to, and it seemed kind of cheap and rude not to. “She’s my ex-wife,” he added.
Allison’s face reflected enlightenment. It might have been his imagination, but he hoped he saw a little relief there too.
“Was everything okay?” she asked, accepting the cash he handed her.
“Yes. It was great. You’re doing a great job.”
She gave a little huff. “We’ll see.”
This was where he should flirt with her, think of something funny and clever and sexy to say.
What he said was “Did you get your toilet fixed?”
Just perfect.
“I did. I managed it on my own.” She was pleased by this accomplishment, and he couldn’t help but be pleased for her. It would have been nice if she’d needed his help, but he couldn’t help but admire her desire to be independent, to get by on her own.
“Good. Good.” He was searching for something else to say when the bell rang to indicate that an order was ready.
